The Vigilante of Vale
by Jakespeed207
Summary: After a horrible attack at his family home, a lone young man finds himself seeking revenge, while at the same time, despising those that hurt others for their own sick pleasure. And with that drive, the power of his soul, and a once in a lifetime chance, he attends a prestigious Hunter school in order to become better... stronger... more powerful. "I am the Vigilante... Jaune Arc."
1. Chapter 1

The Vigilante.

He's a person that goes out there, always looking around to catch those who he sees are being unlawful or, if you want to get more informal, plain old pricks.

He is someone that takes the law into his own hands. A legend whispered of by the crowds.

In a world like Remnant, that can be anyone. A person that has an unlocked aura but doesn't want to deal with going to a Hunter Academy. A Hunter that decided he or she doesn't like how the upper echelon are handling things. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…

But me… I'm a somewhat special case.

I am out for revenge. I want to find those that have taken most of my family from me. If I come across someone in trouble, I don't save them because I truly care about the victim.

No, I save them because I despise those that hurt others for their sick pleasures.

Standing on a rooftop overlooking Vale, I check out the area. This place, being one of the more laid back cities, is a breeding ground for robbers, gang-bangers, and murderers.

And almost always, I'm there to stop them.

A slight nudge of my thoughts indicates that something is amiss. Shifting my focus from a guy talking through his scroll with his very angry girlfriend, I check out what alerted my aura.

"A possible crime? Alright then…"

Looking around discreetly, I jog down the stairs to the street and head over to my parked car. Thanks to a contact of mine, I'm able to speed-order used vehicles, this one being no exception. They're old models, sure, but they still have their kick.

I quickly get in and turn it on, shutting off the radio with barely a thought.

"Whoever this guy or chick is will be sorry to have landed on my radar."

…

Everything is connected.

The Cross-Continental Transmit System, known as the CCT, is a network relay made up of four major towers, each one resting in one of the major countries around Remnant: Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas (who created the system in the first place).

To many, it's a godsend, allowing people to communicate within kingdoms using personal scrolls, and over long distances using certain areas close to the towers, known as CCT Centers.

But me and a few others… We know what it really is.

The CCT is an invasive entity, one that scans everything and anything that is connected around it and relays it back to a server that stores the information.

And that part wasn't accidental.

However, being such a big system, it's got several glaring weaknesses. And one of those is one that I, thanks to my aura and knowledge, take advantage of.

Hacking, backdoors, system control… these things can be used against it. And that's exactly what I do.

I am Jaune Arc, an excellent hacker, if I do say so myself.

I am… the Vigilante.

…

I approach the area where the crime should be happening with caution. I need to make sure I'm not going into this half-assed, but then again, I've done this many times before. No two crimes are alike, unfortunately. Like fingerprints, there are certain differences that can pinpoint to a victim and their attacker.

This one is on an apartment block. There are two apartment buildings covering nearly the entire middle of the block, and what's left on the sides and in between is filled in with a few stores and one restaurant.

Now I need to find either the attacker or victim. One always leads to the other.

Parking the car, I get out and activate my Semblance discreetly, a part easier than thinking at this point. Looking up, I check my reflection in the mirror and see that my eyes are slightly glowing green like usual. That's a small downside to my Semblance, which makes it hard to be unnoticeable at times, especially when I'm dealing with or near experienced Hunters. Those guys notice damn near everything about their surroundings.

But thanks to them, my experience increased exponentially.

As I walk down the street, I pull my cap lower over my face. Every time I focus on the area near a person, my aura automatically connects to the CCT's facial recognition software and scans it in milliseconds, bringing up their name, job, sometimes their annual income, and even a little tidbit into their life.

Jay Baskin, 24, cashier at a coffee shop. Likes to collect rare figurines.

Metia Stills, 40, real estate manager. Likes BDSM porn.

Arceus Cinque, 65, retired. Spends his time at home looking up "Vigilante" online.

These are the details that I, and anyone who can hack into the CCT, have access to. The less that is said about the actual creators and maintainers of the system, the better.

I blink to get myself back into focus and look around. I don't see the telltale yellow sign of a potential criminal or victim.

"Gotta be somewhere around here…"

The sound of a crash immediately draws my attention to the store I'm standing in front of, a convenience store. The old man at the register is being held at gunpoint by a guy whose face looks insane.

"I said give me the damn cash!"

"Please, don't hurt me…!"

"You're wasting my time, old man!"

Noticing the bastard's trigger finger itch, I quickly pull up the silver mask that's part of my jacket over the bottom of my face and pull out my own gun that's hanging on my belt, snapping it forward. I activate a part of my Semblance's skill, the "Focus" ability as I named it, and watch as my perception of time slows down to a crawl. My muscles react and I snap off three rounds in quick succession: one to the guy's left knee, one to his shoulder, and a final one to the hand holding the gun.

The bullets hit simultaneously, making the guy jolt in a weird way and let out a yell of pain. Ignoring the civilians cowering at the gunshots, I run inside and pull out my other weapon: a collapsible staff that I leave in its collapse state, slamming it into the guy's face with enough force to knock him out.

The old man at the counter stares ahead with confusion then finally focuses on me and smiles. "Oh, thank you! You… you're the Vigilante, aren't you?"

"Call the cops, sir. They can deal with him."

Now that I have to speak up, I realize that my voice is low and gravelly from lack of use.

Actually, that's a pretty good thing. Sounds more threatening.

Without further ado, I head outside and to the crowd of civilians that's hanging around the area. They immediately start to gossip when they catch sight of me, and a few pull out their scrolls to take pictures. However, one near the back pulls out her scroll for something completely different.

 _"CCT Server, what's your emergency?"_

 _"There's gunshots around! You need to send someone over, quick!"_

I hear the conversation dully in the back of my head, my inner connection to the CCT always in effect. I quickly head over to my car and jump inside, accelerating out of there before the call is finished.

No reason to have the cops on my ass.

…

When I reach the motel room that I'm staying at, I sigh as I close the door. The CCT scan had almost caught me.

I sit on my bed for a moment, thinking things through. As always, my aura once again kicks up and I feel my thoughts organize themselves into a computer-like fashion.

My Semblance… The Hacker's Tool, as I call it.

Yeah, yeah, bit of a stupid name. Suck it up, I'm not much for originality.

Ever since I was a child, I had been obsessed with computers and their connections. Hardware, software, it didn't matter. Once I hit eleven years old, I made it my mission to learn all I could about it.

My parents, being retired Hunters, saw it as a neat little hobby and helped me out with getting me equipment and sometimes teachers. My dad himself was a damn good hacker, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I wanted him to teach me all he knew, and though mom didn't approve of it at first, dad was happy with teaching me.

But unfortunately, such a life didn't come without its drawbacks, and with my dad, they were big.

When he was younger, dad had gone on a little heist with a friend, taking money from the rich in one of the more wealthy parts of Vale and donating it to several impoverished places of our hometown.

It seems like in one of his trips, though, he stumbled onto something he shouldn't have.

I hadn't even been at home at the time the fixers attacked. Whoever was paying these thugs-for-hire must have had deep pockets, because a ton of them had shown up at my family's house and blown it to kingdom come, using explosives that, to this day, I still couldn't trace. There was no way anything with normal firepower would be able to make so much damage.

But it did, and because of it, my father, mother, and five of my sisters died.

When I arrived at home, all I found was a crater where my home used to be, and a gathered crowd that had no idea what had happened.

From that day on, I wasn't the same. I had no idea who had destroyed my family, but I knew that I wasn't going to let them get away with this.

And I knew just how to do it.

My dad, being pretty secure with his things, had made sure his main hacking center was away from home. Knowing where it was, I decided to continue on and teach myself what my dad couldn't.

And with that, my Semblance developed.

The Hacker's Tool, a Semblance that allowed me to connect to the internet and CCT through my aura, literally turning me into the perfect hacking tool. I'd unlocked it when I had been chasing after a thug that had tried to rob some lady when I was nearby. I chased after him, and the guy tried to pull a pistol on me. That's when, in a moment of desperation, my aura unlocked, and the first of my skills appeared: the Focus skill.

Time slowed as the guy was about to fire at me, and with my quickened perception, I twisted around his aim and slammed my hand against his wrist, sending the butt of his gun into his own face.

From that day on, I started learning more about my Semblance. And with it, I became the man who would go around taking down those that would hurt others.

I became the Vigilante.

...

I get up from my bed and head to a nearby computer. It's connected to several hard drives, but some are just for show. Most of the information I need, I store directly in me.

No, I need this for something else.

Typing a few codes in, I bring up the feed of a camera inside a room of the long-term stay area of Vale's hospital. In that bed is one of my two remaining parts of my family.

Jeannette Arc, my one year older sister.

She looks to be sleeping soundly, at least. That's the best I can hope for someone who nearly died in the attack.

I watch her for a minute, the static sound of her breathing calming my nerves further. The explosion had damaged part of her lungs, but just a year ago, the doctors were able to help her by giving her an artificial one. Her wheezy breathing always fills me with equal parts relief and anger: relief at her being alive, and anger at those that hurt her and my family.

I sigh, wondering if I should turn in for the night, when a beeping from my laptop takes my attention. Looking at it, I can see a warning of some kind on it.

After I connect to it, I realize why, and waste no time in grabbing my jacket and face mask.

 **...**

 **Profile target found: Milo Roberts. Target matches suspected arsonist of Arc Family Case.**

 **...**

"Found you, you bastard," I growl as I race down the roads of Vale.

My destination?

The Vale Coliseum, where a tournament is being held. The cameras of the bottom areas had caught and processed Milo's profile.

...

Just mere minutes later, underneath the Vale Coliseum, a guy in a black hoodie is seen skulking around. As he passes a T hallway leading to the lockers, he chokes when his airway is blocked off. The last thing he feels before unconsciousness takes him is a metal object impacting his head.

I hold my breath as I drag the guy away from sight. He was the last of the ones guarding the door where the asshole that lit the fuse of the attack that took my family is hiding out in.

He knows I'm after him.

So I'm not going to disappoint him.

I stay by the door, waiting until the guy comes around. I know he's going to be unnerved by the silence. I just need to wait him out.

Not a moment later, Milo comes out. His brown hair sticks out a little, then his nondescript face follows.

It promptly gets blown right back in as I extend one end of my staff and slam it right on his temple.

Milo cries out in pain, stumbling back inside and holding his head. I stalk right after him, the sight of his face filling me with rage.

Milo tries to retaliate by pulling out a handgun, but his moves are way too telegraphed. I extend the other end of my staff and spin it, knocking the gun out of his hand. A quick scan of him with the CCT tells me his aura is just at the yellow area.

"Man, you're weak," I snark at him, pulling out my handgun. He tries to dodge, but with Focus, I easily shoot him on his kneecap. The shot is stopped by his aura, but that shot finishes up what he had left, and with a quick twist of my staff against his torso, I see the telltale flash of a brown color spiral out from the point of the strike I made.

My next strike right over his eye is completely undeflected.

Milo cries out as his left temple and eye are bashed in. He falls back on his ass, holding his hands over his left eye as blood spurts out. I approach him coldly, keeping a tight hold on my weapons.

"So we finally meet, face to face."

"What the fuck?! Who the fuck are you?!" Milo yells out.

"You know damn well who I am," I growl, approaching him. "Now, I want names."

"W-What?!"

I answer with a punch to his body. "I said, I want names. Now!"

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"

"Don't you?"

I holster my pistol and hold my left hand out, focusing my aura. A small ball of light appears and, once Milo focuses his frantic, still working eye on it, I mentally "press play".

Truth is, the ball in my hand is my electrically-attuned aura superheating the air around it, creating plasma in the shape of a ball, then vibrating the air in certain ways to create sound.

Sound that played out a recording of a conversation between Milo and whoever had hired him to attack my family.

 _"Milo, you have a target. His name is John Arc. Take as many men as you need and take him out. Hit the family if you can. "_

 _"Hit the family?"_

 _"That a problem?"_

 _"Nope. I'll get him. You'll never hear from him again."_

"Well, don't you worry, Milo. You got him," I growl, kneeling in front of him. "You want to know who else you got? Elena Arc, my mother. Jean and Blanc Arc, twins, nineteen. Trice Arc, fifteen. Callisto Arc, ten. And Shine Arc, a _five year old girl._ "

I don't give Milo a chance to relax, grabbing him by the throat and cutting off his air. He chokes pitifully, grabbing at my hand, but like I mentioned earlier, he's a weakling.

"Are you satisfied then, Milo? Just another job done, huh?"

The man fails to respond, mainly due to the fact that I'm still choking him.

"Well, you failed to account for survivors. And you can guess that I'm not too happy with your scrawny ass right now. So, unless you want this staff to be shoved up where the sun doesn't shine, you better give me something I can work with."

I toss him back, making him hit his head against the wall. He starts gasping for air as soon as he can, then turns back to me wildly.

"I didn't know, man! I didn't know of any kids and shit! You gotta believe me!"

"Really?" I ask rhetorically, my anger simmering just underneath. "On the day where most of the family was together, you didn't account for anyone other than the target? You're bullshitting me."

"It's true!" Milo yells desperately. "You gotta walk away from this man! These guys... They're beyond anything you know... They'll bury you!"

"Yeah, well, sometimes you can't walk away. Now I'm only going to ask you one more time before I resort to the staff again." I collapse said weapon and aim it at his face. "Give me a name. Now!"

"Fuck, fuck, just kill me man!"

Narrowing my eyes at the coward, I force him to look at me and extend the staff immediately. He cries out in fear, but the staff stops just an inch away from his nose.

"Is your memory feeling better?" I ask derisively, standing up.

Apparently not done, I hear Milo shuffle about and grab something, then try and rush me. Spinning around, I extend my staff and smack his approaching hand, sending the wooden board in it flying, then spin the staff and slam it into his face, finally knocking him out.

"Dumbass," I mutter as I collapse the staff. I look around the room, not even sure what I was making sure of, then look back at Milo, noticing his scroll had fallen out of his pocket when I knocked him out.

"Well, he won't tell _me_ anything, but he has to have talked to someone," I mutter, gazing at the scroll. Activating my semblance, I connect to it and hack it, bringing up any relevant conversations.

An audio log pops up, playing in my head.

 _"I can't stand this... I can't keep running... Fuck, why me?! I killed that damn John Arc, but now his kid is after me! He just won't quit! As if I didn't have enough to deal with... I can't stop seeing her face... Her little blue eyes... Fuck, fuck, fuck!"_

I frown as I look back at the unconscious Milo. "Good. He understands it, at least. That doesn't exactly help me securing names, though."

I turn around and head back outside. My... 'associate' should be able to help get him somewhere.

Speaking of, where is she?

As I walk out, I take a look at all the dead bodies around me. Gang members, robbers, and murderers, like I said earlier.

"Hey, Milo, where you at?"

I raise an eyebrow as I watch some guy in a black suit and a fedora stroll around the corner and stop dead when he sees me standing amongst the corpses. He immediately pulls out a pistol.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

I hold my hands up, now noticing a familiar color moving up behind the guy. "You're late, you know."

"What?"

"Not you, buddy."

The guy is prevented from saying any more as a thin sword suddenly pierces through his sternum, making him gasp in pain. The sword retracts, and the guy's eyes roll up as he falls over, leaving the assailant in full view.

 _"Well, you could say I'm fashionably late."_

"Yeah, fashionably," I say sarcastically.

 _"Was that sarcasm?"_

"No, what could possibly give you that idea, Neo?"

The short, tricolor-haired young woman leans on her parasol, giving me a shrewd look. Short as she is, she's a menace, quick with her sword and sometimes quicker with her wit.

Funny thing is, she's mute. Whether voluntary or not, I haven't heard her say a single word in the month and a half we've been working together. Instead, she says she prefers to communicate with her actions, but with me, she found an exception. When she found out I could connect to her scroll via my semblance, she decided to simply write what she wanted to say and leave me to intercept the messages. It was a simple way of communication for me, but it was always hilarious because I sometimes read the messages in a squeaky voice, imagining that's what this shorty sounds like.

 _"So, what have we got here?"_

"The guy who lit the fuse that took my family is back there," I respond, nodding back to the locker room. "I need him out of here and stashed."

 _"I can handle that."_

"I need him _alive,_ Neo," I specify. "I'm not through with him yet. The bastard hasn't given me anything I can work with."

Neo raised an eyebrow condescendingly. _"Really, Jaune?"_

"Hey, don't look at me. He's way too spooked right now. I know an abandoned warehouse at the docks you can use, I'll send you the coordinates. Some time in solitary will help out. He'll start to reach out."

Neo shrugs and saunters away, her hips swaying as she sends me one last message.

 _"Hey, you're the one paying me. Whatever you say."_

Yeah, Neo is what those in this field call a fixer. You could say she's a thug for hire, doing jobs for lien. Especially murder jobs, it seemed. That girl had an unhealthy obsession with it, treating it almost like a game. Something told me that being a fixer is a secondary thing to her, though.

I decide to leave that for later and begin to walk away. The cops will find the gang members later, and I can trust in Neo to get Milo out of here.

And my night's surprises won't end here.

...


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as I enter my car, I feel my semblance once again "vibrate", as if giving me a signal. It's the only way it gives me notifications, and I will admit, it did annoy me at first.

When I activate my semblance, a blue triangle appears on my inner map, and a well-known picture follows it.

 **'Remote Profiling Triggered - Crime Detected: Roman Torchwick.'**

My eyes widen and I immediately pull away from the curve, speeding down the road.

Even without the name accompanying it, I would've recognized that face and orange hair immediately.

 _'Roman fucking Torchwick... I've been after that guy for some time now. A notorious criminal who I've connected to several robberies of Dust shops around Vale. He's a slippery bastard, that one, but eventually, the CCT will find you.'_

* * *

I pull up across from the possible crime location, a Dust shop called From Dust Till Dawn. I turn off the engine of the car just as Roman swaggers down an alley, stops for a moment to take a drag of his cigar, then keeps walking. I narrow my eyes as I notice six thugs just behind him. Interestingly, they were dressed just like the one guy that Neo had taken out back at the stadium. I focus of one of the guys, and his personal information comes up.

One little titbit catches my attention.

 **'Member of Junior Xiong's Gang.'**

I know the Junior mentioned. He's the owner of the unimaginatively named Junior's Bar. I suspected that he was running a gang with his hired help, but I wasn't able to find any concrete proof, even with the CCT. This guy I profiled must be a newbie.

Regardless, I watch as they enter the shop. When I'm sure they're all inside, I get out of the car and sneak my way to the front of the store, pulling up my face mask. I gather a few odd comments from the scarce amount of people around, but I pay them no mind. They usually change their note when I take down some asshole.

I look through the window and activate my semblance, my eyes glowing green as usual. My view changes to a camera inside the store, hanging just above the register.

As soon as its view comes focuses in my sight, the profiler immediately latches on to Torchwick's face. The audio soon follows.

 _"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?"_

One of the thugs points a weapon at the old man behind the counter, who raises his hands helplessly.

 _"Please, just take my lien and leave,"_ he says.

Torchwick shushes him nonchalantly. _"Calm down, we're not here for your money."_ Turning back to the goons, he orders, _"Grab the Dust."_

 _'Time for me to intervene.'_

I come back to my own body and sneak around to a side door in an alley, opening it without much difficulty. The goons had spread out a little, so I tiptoe in and focus on the closest one, watching him for a moment. When he's turned away and I'm sure that his buddies aren't watching, I rush him and wrap my arm against his neck, pulling hard enough to block his airway regardless of aura. He struggles for a few moments, but eventually stills. I pull him back and throw him outside, then close the door and keep moving.

The store is small, so I don't have many chances of silently taking out opponents. Thus, I wait until a three of them are close together before I rush out and extend my staff, clocking one of them on the side of the head and dropping him quickly. The other two are slow to react, so I take a step forward and spin my weapon around, sweeping his feet then slamming it against his face while he's in midair, knocking him out right there.

The third guy finally draws his gun, but I'm quicker with the draw. With my Focus ability, I pull out my pistol and point it at him, shooting him before he can pull the trigger. The shot hits right on his head, piercing through his weak aura and killing him. I turn to where Torchwick is, knowing I don't have much time left. Surprisingly, the guy's simply standing by the door, still dragging on his cigarette.

"So," he drawls, "you're the infamous Vigilante, huh?"

I glare at him in response, my eyes glowing green as usual as my semblance automatically pinpoints the vulnerabilities in the area around us.

"A man of few words, are you?" Torchwick smirks. "Well, man might be a charitable way of putting it."

Before either he or I can move, however, the sound of a crash draws our attention. By the window is one of Junior's goons, his glasses broken and his eyes screwed shut in pain. The last of the goons looks at Torchwick, who nods in the direction from where the guy had come flying. The goon runs between two shelves, with Torchwick and me keeping quiet out of an unspoken agreement.

"Freeze," the guy yells, and to the surprise of both of us, a grunt that sounds like it belongs to a little girl follows it. The goon flies right out of one of the large windows, a red blur following it. Looking back at Torchwick, I curse when I realize that he had run out of the store.

"Stay here, old man," I order to the owner, who nods quickly.

I run out of the store as well, noticing that Torchwick had stopped in front of the store and, to my bewilderment, is pointing his cane at what had been the red blur, which turns out to actually be a young girl. The profiler focuses on her and immediately brings up her info.

 **'Ruby Rose, fifteen years old. Currently attending Signal Academy. Has a possible addiction towards weapons.'**

To further my surprise, the girl is holding a strange looking scythe that's nearly twice as large as she is, and if I'm not mistaken, has a scope near the middle of the handle.

"... I'm afraid this... is where we part ways." Torchwick's words pull be back to him as a target pops up at the end of his cane.

Before I can move, a glowing sphere shoots out of the end of his cane and at Rose, who twirls her scythe and places it parallel to the ground. A loud gunshot sounds and Rose flies upward, with Torchwick's round exploding against the ground and wrecking it.

Looking back at Torchwick, I once again curse when I realize he once again used that as a distraction, noticing him a few yards away and headed towards a ladder on a building's side. I immediately run after him, reaching the ladder just as he was nearly at the top. I climb up quickly, and just when I reach the top, I hear another loud gunshot, which is followed by the sound of Rose landing right next to me on the rooftop. We glance at each other for only a moment before looking back at Torchwick, who was running to the edge of the building.

"Hey!"

"Stop!"

Surprisingly, he does. I just barely hear him mutter, "Persistent," before something else grabs our attention.

A bullhead suddenly flies up, making all our clothes flap around in its wind. A searchlight focuses right on Rose and I as Torchwick climbs into its open side.

 _'Where the hell had he even been hiding that?!'_

"End of the line, pals!" Torchwick crows, holding up and throwing towards us a red object. When it lands, I realize just what it is.

A Fire Dust crystal.

Looking up, I process the image presented to me: Torchwick pointing his cane at the crystal.

"Shit, look out!" I react immediately, moving in front of Rose, who looks at me in bewilderment but braces herself regardless.

It's too close to use Focus against it, so now all I can do is pump my aura around my body, hoping I can tank the explosion.

When I hear the explosion, however, I'm surprised when I don't feel anything. Turning to look behind me, I realize why.

Someone is standing just in front of us, and in front of her, what looks like a floating circle of runes and lines is acting like a shield. She looks back to make sure we're alright, and in that moment, the profiler acts and my brain I immediately memorizes the information.

 **'Glynda Goodwitch, teacher at Beacon Academy. Yearly income: $52,465. Secretly into BDSM.'**

Interesting as that is, I turn around, ignoring Rose's awed look towards Goodwitch, and focus back on the bullhead. At my side, Goodwitch waves what I assume is a wand, though it looks more like a riding crop, and the purple rune breaks into several purple energy bolts that fly to and strike the bullhead, making it jerk around and Torchwick lose his sense of balance. He runs inside, and in the meantime, Goodwitch casts what I'm assuming is one of her spells, making clouds appear just above the bullhead. When she lowers the crop, a rain of frozen, sharp icicles fly down, striking several places on the bullhead.

Before she can continue, however, another person appears at the bullhead's open door, making both of us focus on her. The person's face is annoyingly hidden by shadow, but the automatic profiler focuses on her anyways.

To my shock, however, the profiler has nothing.

 **Error. Facial Recognition Failed.**

"Impossible," I mutter, just as the woman gestures with her hand at us. A red, glowing circle appears just under us, making both of us jump back to dodge the sudden explosion. My eyes widen at the power behind it. That could've knocked down at least half my aura in one unblocked hit.

Goodwitch gestures with her wand, and the rubble thrown up by the explosion glows as Goodwitch's magic-like semblance pulls it together into a large, makeshift spike. The spike flies at the bullhead, but the woman inside fires several fireballs at it. It breaks apart for a moment, but then pulls together and continues anyways. The bullhead suddenly lurches and tilts towards us, making the spike grind off the top. Goodwitch frowns and gestures again, and the spike splits into three, all of them flying around to strike at different areas. A glow from inside catches my attention, and in a moment, a wave of fire bursts out from the woman, turning the rubble into dust.

I look to the side, locking eyes with Rose. We nod at each other, and I see her scythe close up. She aims the large end at the ship and pulls the trigger, shooting several rounds of what I recognize as .50 calibre sniper rounds, once I use Focus. To both our surprise, the woman holds up her hand and deflects the rounds. She holds up her hand and even from this distance, I can feel a build-up of energy. Thus, with the last of the energy I'd set aside for my Focus, I focus on the bullhead before she can fire, narrow my eyes, and disrupt its internal connections.

A small explosion rips through the bottom of the bullhead, making it jerk wildly and causing the woman to lose her focus. The explosion instead happens just in front of us, but it's still enough to blow us back enough.

When the rubble clears and we look forward, the bullhead is far enough that none of us can reach it, leaving a quickly dissipating smoke trail.

The three of us stand there silently for a moment, then Rose breaks it with a single, "Whoa... You're a huntress?"

When Goodwitch looks at her, I realize that this is my chance to get away.

"Can I have your autograph?!"

Rose's fangirl-sounding question covers my silent jump backwards, just far enough that I can flip backwards and grab onto the side of the ladder I had used earlier to chase Torchwick. I place my feet on the wall to halt my momentum, ignore Goodwitch's exclamation of "Hey!", and drop, using my grip on the ladder to slide down to the ground. I immediately stick close to the edge and turn the corner into an alley, staying in the shadows. Looking up, I notice a camera on the side of a building that overlooks the rooftop we were standing on. I focus on it and its feed enters my mind's eye.

Goodwitch is standing just on the edge, looking around fruitlessly. She makes an odd 'tch' sound and looks back towards Rose, who's just staring at her.

 _"Who was that?"_ Rose asks Goodwitch.

 _"I have an idea,"_ Goodwitch mutters before looking at Rose sternly. _"Now, come with me, young lady."_

When I see both of them get off the roof, I get out of the alley and follow them to a building nearby, where they enter. I don't see any easy way in, so I look around and find a path up the side of the building next to it. Once I have a good sight of a window on the building, I reach into my jacket and pull out a scope that I rarely used anymore. I usually sneak into any places I needed to go, but before, I used to use a sniper rifle to clear out my opposition before entering any place. When I had to get rid of it, I decided to keep the scope, and it's become quite useful.

I look through it and notice a camera just at the edge of the window. Thankfully, it was still enough for me to watch its feed.

Once the image focuses, I see Goodwitch walking towards a room to the right of the camera, her scroll in her hands. Rose follows behind her, looking like a kicked puppy.

 _'I hope they're not hard on her. I could see it when we looked at each other; she's a nice girl, just fighting evil because she wants to. She's almost like me, though infinitely more innocent. If they try anything, I'm sure I can distract them enough for her to get off light.'_

Realizing they were almost out of my sight, I focus on Goodwitch's scroll and transfer my thoughts to its camera, the feed moving about before focusing on it. The feed stops as Goodwitch opens the door, ushers Rose in, and commands her to sit down. As Goodwitch brings up her scroll, I see Rose sitting at a table, which was just under a light, looking like a stereotypical questioning room.

 _"I hope you realize how much trouble you're in, young lady,"_ Goodwitch starts to berate her, walking around her with her scroll and riding crop in hand. _"You put yourself and others in grave danger."_

 _"They started it, and it wasn't just me!"_

 _"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back..."_

Rose smiles, a smile that quickly becomes a yelp of surprise when Goodwitch suddenly slaps the table near her hand with her riding crop. It seems like she's focusing on Rose and saving the questioning about me for later.

 _"... And a slap on the wrist! But... There's someone here who wishes to see you."_

As Goodwitch moves on, I notice a lone security camera at the corner of my vision. Quickly focusing on it, I transfer to it, getting a better viewpoint of the room and the newcomer.

 **'Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Possibly addiction to caffeine.'**

 _'What the-? His first name can't actually be Professor, can it?'_

 _"Ruby Rose,"_ Ozpin says as he enters, bringing with him a plate of cookies that Rose's eyes immediately latch on to. He walks a bit closer to the table and leans over, looking at the girl. _"You... have silver eyes."_

I noticed Rose deflate a little, and honestly, I was expecting something bigger myself. I note his pause before he said the silver eyes part and store it for later thought.

 _"So,"_ Ozpin suddenly straightens, nodding towards Goodwitch's scroll, which is playing a recording of Rose dodging Roman's shot and then later firing at the woman on the plane. _"Where did you learn to do_ this _?"_

 _"S-Signal Academy..."_

 _"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons known to man?"_

 _"Well, one teacher in particular."_

 _"I see."_

Ozpin then slides the cookies over to Rose, who looks up momentarily for confirmation but eventually grabs one and eats it... Then another... And several more...

 _'Damn, this girl loves her cookies.'_

 _"It's just that I've seen one other person wield such a weapon before. A dusty, old crow..."_

 _"Oph, phat'sh my bhuncl!"_

Ozpin's eyes narrow momentarily, and Rose hurriedly swallows and wipes her mouth.

 _"Heh, sorry. That's my uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage until he took me under his wing, and now, I'm all: whoa, whatchaaa, hyaaa!"_

I raise an eyebrow at her ninja-like air chopping motions when she exclaims those last words.

 _'This girl's a total geek...'_

 _"So I've noticed,"_ Ozpin says with a smile, taking a seat. _"And what is an adorable young girl doing at a school designed to train warriors?"_

 _"Well... I want to be a huntress."_

The conviction in her voice surprises me.

 _"You want to slay monsters?"_ Ozpin questions.

 _"Yeah. I only have two more years at Signal, then I'm going to apply to Beacon. See, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a huntress, and I'm trying to become a huntress because I want to help people! And our parents always taught us to do the right thing, and I thought, well, why not make a career out of it? The police are cool and all, but hunters and huntresses are just so much cooler and awesome and- gyahhh, you know?!"_

I stare at Rose, bewildered.

 _'Geek may have been an understatement...'_

Judging by Goodwitch's facial expression, I'm not alone in that thought. Ozpin, however, keeps smiling calmly.

 _"Do you know who I am?" he asks._

 _"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon,"_ Rose responds without preamble.

Ozpin chuckles under his breath. _"Hello."_

 _"Nice to meet you,"_ Rose says with a little bow.

Ozpin now becomes serious, placing his hand on the table. _"You want to come to my school?"_

 _"More than anything..."_

Once again, the conviction in Rose's voice surprises me a little, but I will admit it's nice to hear.

Ozpin apparently feels the same, for after a sheepish look at Goodwitch, who groans lightly and looks away, he smiles at Rose and says, _"Well, okay."_

Rose's eyes grow in size, as does her smile, before she jumps up and asks, _"Really?!"_

 _"Yes, Miss Rose, but please, do try to contain yourself,"_ Goodwitch admonishes.

Rose immediately sits back down, but the smile can't leave her face.

 _"I think that will be all for tonight, young lady,"_ Ozpin said, standing up. _"I believe you have a sister to share the good news with."_

 _"Yes, sir! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"_

And without further ado, Rose runs out of the room at a blinding speed, leaving behind a trail of flying rose petals and a door banging against the wall.

 _"Hey, slow down!"_ Goodwitch tries to reprimand her, but Rose is long gone.

 _"Don't worry, she's still just a child. Let her be for now,"_ Ozpin says, placing a hand on her shoulder.

 _"Why didn't you ask her about the Vigilante?"_ Goodwitch asked him.

 _"Do you honestly think she knew anything about him?"_ Ozpin asks.

Goodwitch hesitates, but eventually shakes her head.

 _"She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, though to her it will likely be the right place and time. The Vigilante, however... I have that covered."_

I immediately retract from the camera and to my own body. That can't be good. I need to get away from here.

I exit the building and head down the sidewalk, planning to walk to my car as inconspicuously as possible and get away from here. However, my luck seems to have run out, because I hear a loud voice behind me.

"Hey, you! Freeze!"

I stop, noting that there's no one else around this area.

"Hands where I can see them."

I put my hands up.

"Now turn around. No funny business either."

What kind of line is that?

Regardless, I turn around, face mask still in place. As soon as the police officer looks at my face, he pales, while I scan him.

 **'Jason Ember, 24. Just recently passed the exam for the Police Force.'**

Another newbie, huh? Maybe my luck isn't that far gone.

The young man scrambles to pick up the radio attached to his belt, but as he does, I raise my aura slowly and calmly, connecting to the CCT in the area and planning to use two of my best distractive abilities.

Just as he pulls the radio up to his cheek, I pull both mental "triggers".

Almost immediately, a loud static shoots through the radio, making the young man cry out in pain. As he does, everything goes dark around us as a blackout occurs, hiding me from immediate view.

I quickly run forward before he can recover and aim a punch at his throat, making him choke on his momentarily blocked windpipe. I pull out my staff and twirl it, slamming it on the nape of his neck and knocking him out.

Now left alone in the dark, though I know it's not for much longer, I run to a nearby alley between two buildings, planning to cross through and then run to my car.

"That was commendable, young man."

I immediately pull my pistol out, aiming it in the direction of the voice. To my surprise, I recognize the face leaning by the wall to the left of where I came in.

"Ozpin..."

"Oho? So you know who I am?"

"Let's be honest, almost everyone in Vale knows who you are."

"Fair enough."

"Why are you here?" I narrow my eyes, remembering what he had said earlier. "Are you here to bring me in?"

"Now why would you think that, young man?"

"Why else would someone stop to talk to me?"

"I suppose you have a point, though it isn't all bad. Many of Vale's citizens approve of your actions, though as you can guess, much of the police doesn't."

"Is this going anywhere? I don't have a lot of time left."

I had been keeping an eye on the CCT's efforts to restore power to the area I'm in, and its halfway there already.

"Yes, I suppose you don't. I came with a proposition, but it isn't for the Vigilante... It's for Jaune Arc."

I freeze. It couldn't be...

But just by looking at his eyes, I can tell that Ozpin knows exactly who I was.

I slowly reach up and pull my facemask down, exposing my nose, mouth, and jawline.

"Ah, there he is."

"So you know who I am? How?"

"I've been keeping track of you, Jaune. Your father and I... We go a long way back. I knew him when we were both in Beacon, and I can't tell you the sorrow I felt when I heard the news of his demise. But when I heard that three of his children had survived, I made it my mission to keep an eye on them, as a favour to my old friend."

Hearing the regret and sadness in Ozpin's tone caught me a little off guard, but I couldn't help but relate to him. It seems that, just as I had been keeping track of my sisters, he had been keeping track of me.

"So why are you here?" I ask.

"To extend to you an invitation to attend Beacon Academy."

My eyes widen. "Are you serious?"

"Completely, Jaune."

I stare at him, confused. "But why?"

"Because, like Miss Rose, who you fought alongside earlier, you show a righteous spirit, Jaune. Yours may have been marred by what happened to your family, but it's still there. And I can't ignore talent such as yours."

I stay silent, thinking it over. The CCT is almost done restoring power to the sector.

"You don't have to give me an answer now," Ozpin assures me. "Tomorrow, the airship that takes the new students to Beacon will be leaving from the port west of here. If you come on that day, and pass the initiation test, I will enrol you in my school."

He turns, and it seems like he's about to walk away, but he tosses me one last thought.

"Please, Jaune, think about it. What you're doing now... With proper training, you can help many more people."

And with that, he walks into the shadows and disappears.

Damn that man... Throwing my thoughts into chaos like this...

...

...

...


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't know, Jeanette... Should I take it?"

I don't expect a response. Turning, I gaze at the resting face of my comatose sister, her chest rising and falling with her breathing. I come to visit her whenever I can, just to talk if possible.

"So much has happened in such a short time... I found the first clue, Jeanette. The guy that was hired to kill Dad... But he won't talk. I need to give him time, that's all."

I move closer and stand next to the bed, grabbing one of her limp hands in mine.

"Still no word from Kurei... She's still in Atlas, I know that much. But she hasn't tried to contact me at all... And I don't want to try to contact her. I want to hate her so bad for running, but... I can't, Jeanette. I feel that... If she hadn't done it, I might have... I'll bring her back one day, I promise... Just not now."

I look to the window, taking in the rising sun.

"I'm sure if you were here right now, you'd tell me to take the chance without a second thought, wouldn't you? You always were the studious one out of the two of us... And me? Always moving around, wanting to do something. The more things change, eh?"

I look back at the face of my sister. When we were younger, I would always ask her to play with me out of boredom, but most times she'd say she was busy with schoolwork or reading. When we played together, though... Those were the best times of my childhood.

I smile tenderly at the comatose girl. "Yeah, you'd tell me to take it immediately. And I will. I was thinking it over a lot last night, but it's a good idea."

I lean down and kiss Jeanette's forehead, looking at her tenderly. "I'll visit again soon, I promise."

And with that, I take my leave.

* * *

Driving down the road to my motel room so I can finish packing my things, I continue to ponder the offer Ozpin made me, as well as what he had said about keeping track of me and my remaining family.

I can only wonder how he does it. I could keep track of people thanks to my backdoor connection to the CCT and my semblance, but I wasn't sure if Ozpin was the same. Had he been having me and my sisters tailed?

That can't be; I'm sure I'd have noticed if he had someone tail us.

Then how?

A sudden vibration in the back of my head brings me back to the present. There's a crime about to be committed, not too far from my place actually. I set a waypoint to the area and race there, just barely avoiding collisions along the way. Thanks to Focus, I'm able to perceive any oncoming obstacles and avoid them, but I can't use it all the time. Gives me a terrible migraine.

In roughly three minutes, I reach the area where the crime will most likely be committed. Parking my car along the edge of the road, I look around the area. It's a residential block with a few apartment buildings here and there, as well as a convenience store, a gun shop, and a clothing store. A quick scan at the inside of the stores through the cameras I can see show me nothing particularly alarming, so I get out of the car and walk into the alley between two buildings, my profiler on and scanning.

As soon as I turn the corner, I immediately jump back and lean against the wall, watching the alley. The profiler had focused on some girl that looks to be just a bit older than me leaning against the wall of the left apartment building and constantly looking around the corner. I keep an eye on her, pulling up my mask. As soon as it's in place, I see another woman start to walk up the alley, distracted by the scroll she's talking into. I narrow my eyes, keeping track of both of them.

The first girl I focused on suddenly steps out, blocking the second girl's path.

"So you think you can just take my man and not expect some retribution?!" the first girl exclaims angrily, reaching into her jacket.

"He moved on from you! Just face it, bitch!" the second girl shoots back derisively.

I slowly stalk out and around the corner, keeping to the shadows while pulling out my staff. The first girl seems to have the same idea, but instead, she pulls out a pistol.

"Oh, you think you can talk like that to me?!"

"Whoa, what do you think you're doing, you crazy bitch?!"

As the first girl starts to aim the gun at her 'adversary', I dash in, extending my staff. Before she can fire, I spin it and slam it against the underside of her wrist, sending her shot flying into the air. As she turns to look at me, I twist the staff and hit the back of her knees, sending her to the ground, then collapse part of it and use it to hold her in a choke hold. I look up at the other woman, who was gaping at me.

"Go, get out of here," I order her.

The woman nods rapidly, and after a quick, "Thank you," she runs out of the alley the way she came.

When I feel the girl I'm holding start to struggle wildly, I pull harder on the staff, fully cutting off her air until she passes out. I lower her to the ground, then set a beacon on the CCT for the police to follow. This girl already has a record of stalking and harassment charges, but hopefully this time, she can stay behind bars for a bit longer.

"What a petty crime," I mutter, lowering my mask and moving out of the alley, back to my car.

* * *

When I get to my motel room, I realize that stopping that crime has cut into my time to catch the airship departing to Beacon, so I quickly run inside, strip, and jump into the shower. After washing myself up, I put on one of my favourite outfits: a black shirt, then a sleeveless orange sweatshirt (stitched with bullet-resistant Earth Dust) over it, and finally a white, short-sleeve jacket that reaches down to my knees and has a triple hexagonal design on the upper back. After putting on some black pants, boots, and a grey cap, I pack the rest of my outfits into a large backpack and head out, stopping by the clerk quickly to pay the next month's rent in advance. I'll come back another day to get my drives and stuff, but right now, it would be too much to carry.

I quickly run outside and jump into my car, screeching out of the parking lot and onto the highway. The normal roads would be too cluttered at this time of day.

* * *

As I approach the airship port, I note that one big airship is still there, Beacon's insignia painted on its side.

"That's it, huh?"

Quickly parking my car in the parking lot out front, I go to the trunk and open it up, pulling out my backpack. After setting it next to me, I reach in and grab a lever on the trunk's floor, pulling it up and out.

There, on the space where the replacement tire normally sits, are my best weapons.

First, I grab a strap that contains two strong magnets, wrapping it under my orange, sleeveless sweatshirt so that it's covered by both that and my white jacket, and strapping it around my torso. Then I pull out two leg holsters, one small and one medium sized. I attach them to each of my legs, the medium sized one just under the knee of my left leg while the small one is strapped mid-right-thigh.

Next, I pull out my long range weapon: The Destroyer, a two-shot-per-clip anti-material sniper rifle that can penetrate anything in a hit or two and leave cars a smouldering wreck. I move it to my back in a vertical fashion, and the magnet on the left side of my back immediately attracts it, keeping it attached there until I grab it.

I reach into the trunk again and pull out my first mid-range weapon, and a personal conquest of mine: a biometric, fully automatic assault rifle, about half as powerful as the other rifle on my back. Thanks to a specialized aura and fingerprint scanner on its handle, the rifle will only fire while it's in my hands, and after having used it for some time, I stashed up what money I could and ordered similar modifications be made to my main weapons. I reach back and place the rifle next to the Destroyer, the second magnet holding it there.

My second mid-range weapon, though it's also pretty good for close range fights, is a burst-fire revolver nicknamed simply "Chrome" due to the chromatic silver finish. This monster of a handgun is just as powerful as the biometric rifle, but has a much smaller clip, only having nine shots per clip. I usually use it as a finisher weapon anyways, so that doesn't bother me.

And for my final weapon, a close-range one, I pull out a silver, sawed-off shotgun known as the D12. It isn't the best out there due to the two-shot-per-clip limit, like the Destroyer, but it makes up with its power in close range, having 12-gauge shells as ammo. How this thing can still wielded one-handed is a mystery, but I manage.

Finally, I pull out four compact packs that I attach to my belt, each one containing the ammunition for my weapons. I order them from biggest to smallest sizes, with the pistol and shotgun ammo on my left, and the assault and sniper rifle ammo on my right.

Finally, I stash my collapsible staff in a pocket on the inside of my jacket, and with that, I'm ready to head out.

As I enter the airship terminal, I'm given several looks by the patrons inside, likely due to the weapons on me. I ignore them for now and head to a person standing underneath a banner that has Beacon's logo. Around the uniformed guy are several people, one of which I recognize as Ruby Rose. I focus on the guy, who's giving out instructions.

"... First years must come to Beacon on the airship, as you will be given instructions on the way. Once there, you are to make your way to the main hall, where your will be further instructed. Any questions?"

One guy near me raises his hand. "Yeah, one question. If we have any personal vehicles, what do we do with them?"

"If you wish to bring them with you, Beacon does have an underground garage. You may leave your key and scroll number with my associate here," he motions to a woman next to him, "and they will be delivered after you arrive."

 _'That'll be useful. The rest of my weapons are still in the car.'_

I walk over to the woman and hand her the key to my car outside, giving her my scroll number and the car's description. As I turn around, I nearly run into a buxom blonde girl. At this close range, the profiler activates automatically and gives me her information.

 **'Yang Xiao Long, 17 years old. Mother ran away when she was young.'**

"Excuse me," I say, making to walk past her.

"No worries, hot stuff," she responds in a flirty way, giving me a wink.

I look back at her and raise an eyebrow, but she doesn't say any more and walks with a sway of her hips to the woman. I shake my head and continue on my way.

* * *

The trip to Beacon is largely boring, but after the airship docks and we all step out, the 'fun' begins.

The first thing being an explosion.

While I'm walking up to Beacon's admirable courtyard, the sound of an explosion catches my attention. When I look to where it came from, I'm actually not that surprised to spot Rose standing by a sooty, human-shaped object which the profiler soon recognizes.

 **'Weiss Schnee, 17 years old. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.'**

Ah... There's a name I'm iffy about.

The Schnee Dust Company is the largest and most well-known Dust mining company in Remnant. However, its infamy is now as large as its fame due to some controversial leaked documents and its Faunus labour. But that isn't the only reason. Being the biggest distributor of Dust around, many of the backdoor deals and smuggles that involve Dust in any way lead back to them... including my family home's bombing. Thing is, the data I've gotten is incomplete, so I can't be sure that they're the culprits.

Regardless, I watch as another person walks up to the duo, a black-haired beauty that seems to have made catwalk striding her main walking motion. Once the profiler focuses on her, an interesting little titbit comes up.

 **'Blake Belladonna, 17 years old. Cat Faunus. Ex-member of the White Fang.'**

Ah, the White Fang. There's another group I'm familiar with. The easiest connection I have to them comes from the fact that half the crimes I've stopped are from White Fang members attacking shops and utilities, especially Dust shops like From Dust Till Dawn. If this Blake used to be a member... Maybe she can answer some questions I have about them. Though not now. I bring it up as soon as I meet her and I run the risk of scaring her off.

When both Schnee and Belladonna walk away from Rose, the former a huffy mess, I notice Rose fall to her knees, then her back, sighing dejectedly. Understanding her plight, I walk over to her, intending to introduce myself (properly this time).

"Sound like you're having a tough first day already," I say as I approach her, holding my hand out.

"You could say that," she sighs, giving me an awkward smile as she takes my hand and lets me pull her up.

"The name's Jaune. What's yours?" I ask, for formalities.

"Ruby," she responds, her little smile still in place.

"Well, I can see you certainly took to your name," I muse, looking her up and down.

"Heh, yeah," she just agrees awkwardly, and we stand there in relative silence. Before I can think of anything to say, however, she says, "So… I have this."

And with a little flourish, she brings out her sniper-scythe, slamming the tip against the floor.

"Oh, nice," I comment, looking the weapon up and down now that we aren't in a battle. It has the same colour scheme Ruby has, and I recognize the scope as the same kind that my Destroyer has.

"Yeah, I built her myself," Ruby says proudly.

"You built that?"

"Yeah! All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you?"

"I never went to Signal," I answer, "Or to any other school. Plus, I never saw the need to make a transformable weapon."

"Oh, so none of those on you transform?" she asks, and I can hear a little disappointment in her tone.

"No, but they're pretty good nonetheless," I shrug. I pull my two one-handed weapons from my legs and hold them out. "Check it."

She looks at them, then grabs Chrome and moves it around a little, checking the grip, trigger, and even sliding out the magazine. This girl definitely knew her way around weapons, perhaps more than people. Makes sense, too, considering she has an apparent addiction to them.

"Wow, this is a really powerful handgun, though it seems like it's got a specific firing type."

"Yeah, it's a burst fire revolver. I call it the Chrome. It has a limit of nine shots per clip, and three rounds per shot, but I use it as a finisher so it's not particularly bothersome."

She hands me back the revolver and takes the D12 from my left hand, popping it open and checking it out.

"Ooh, 12 gauge shells? Nice and powerful, but what about rounds?"

"Again, pretty short. Two shots, but like Chrome, they're damn powerful. It's also got a pretty nice spread, so it's difficult to dodge fully."

"I see," she says in an interested tone before looking at the two larger weapons on my back. "And those?"

"Ah, maybe I'll show you them some other time," I smirk as I turn away and begin to walk to the school.

"Wha-? Hey, come on! Please?!" Ruby pouts, an admittedly cute as all hell pout, but something that doesn't faze me.

"No, Ruby, not now. We have an antechamber to get to."

"Oh yeah, about that… Do you know where it is?"

I close my eyes, connecting to the CCT and pulling up a map of Beacon. To my surprise, I find instead the actual blueprints for the building.

 _'Why the hell are these in the air?!"_

I shake my head a little and scan it quickly, checking where we are, then where the antechamber is.

"This way," I lead the red-themed girl, turning left. Ruby follows along.

* * *

Minutes later, we reach the large room that the introduction is supposed to be at, both of our eyes widening at the amount of people there.

"Oh," Ruby suddenly perks up, "there's my sister!"

I focus on where she's pointing, noticing a familiar blonde girl waving at us.

"Wait... That's your sister?!" I exclaim. "She looks like she could be more _my_ sister than yours, no offense meant."

"None taken," Ruby giggles. "We're half-sisters."

 _'Ah, that explains it.'_

"Well, you better go. She's waving at you," I say.

"Sure! See you later, Jaune!"

And with a flurry of rose petals that appear as soon as she bursts away, Ruby leaves.

 _'She really is innocent. But her heart is in the right place, and she's got some good determination. She'll go far.'_

Sighing, I make my way to the middle of the room, crossing my arms and looking up at the stage, where a lone microphone stands. A few seconds later, however, a snippet of conversation catches my ear.

"... And we can talk about cute boys like tall, blonde, and... scraggly over there."

 _'Scraggly?'_

Now, I'll admit that I'm not overly muscular, but I don't need large muscles. I have a runner's build, meant to be agile.

With a raised eyebrow, I look at the girl that's pointing at me and am not surprised to see the white hair, skin, and outfit of that Schnee girl. Shaking my head, I walk over to the girl, a hand on my shotgun.

"Excuse me," I say to her.

As soon as she begins turning, I draw my D12, aiming both barrels at her eyes, which widen in panic.

"Boom," I say. "This 'tall, blonde, and scraggly' just blew your brains out."

As she looks at me with wide eyes, I holster the gun and look at the girls she was talking to.

Ruby and Xiao Long. Of course.

"Are we going to keep meeting like this?" I ask Ruby in jest.

Ruby gives a half-hearted chuckle while her sister observes me with a little smirk.

"Soooo..." she drawls, stepping closer. "You're her new friend, hot stuff?"

"That I am," I nod, holding my hand out. "Jaune Arc."

"Yang Xiao Long is the name," she says, shaking my hand enthusiastically. "Don't wear it out, 'kay?"

"I'll try my best not to," I chuckle.

"Why, you little…"

I hear the sound of a hand gripping metal and quickly turn, activating Focus instinctually. Schnee is glaring at me, her hand on her rapier. I deactivate Focus and lash out, grabbing her wrist, preventing her from drawing the sharp object.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I growl.

She looks between my eyes and my hand in surprise, then glares at me. "Unhand me at once."

"Are you going to stab me with your pointy object?"

"I will not deny that I have the urge to do so."

"Then no."

In the back of my head, I barely register the fact that Ruby and Yang are nearly bursting with laughter, but I keep most of my focus on the heiress in front of me.

"How dare you point a weapon at me?" Schnee sneers.

"How dare you call me scraggly? Take a good look at me," I respond. Schnee does, but I talk before she can say anything. "Besides, I didn't point a gun at your eyes because you called me names. I did so for dismissing me like that. Anyone, if they truly want to, can catch one unawares and take them down. It only takes the right sting in the right place for a fly to bring down an elephant. Remember that."

And with that, I let go of her and turn back to the stage.

"Plus, you shouldn't start a fight here. If you want to fight, we can always do so once initiation ends."

Schnee stares at me for a little bit, but eventually turns to the stage herself, crossing her arms and studiously ignoring us.

"Well, that was exciting," Yang comments. "Better than the boring fest this is. Seriously, where's the headmaster?"

As if on cue, a door on the stage opens and said man steps out.

"There he is," I say jokingly, making her give me a scrunched look, a mix between annoyed and amused.

"I'll… keep this brief," Ozpin starts with, pushing his glasses up. "You have come here in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy; a need of purpose… direction…"

 _'Harsh, but honest…'_

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will show you that knowledge can only take you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

And with those words, he leaves, and Goodwitch takes his place.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. _Be ready_."

I raise an eyebrow. That was pretty short. Also…

 _'This is a ballroom?'_

* * *

A few hours later, the rest of the prospective students and I were lounging around the ballroom, getting ready for early turn-ins.

Earlier, Goodwitch had come by and lead us to the locker rooms, where each of us was given a rocket-propelled locker (they had apparently outfitted each one with a propulsion system and enough fuel to travel directly to any spot in Vale) to stash our weapons and ammunition in. Some redheaded asshole had tried to shove me into one, and ended up with a concussion thanks to my staff.

Regardless, I had decided to leave my weapons there and simply change into a pair of shorts, though I kept my bullet-resistant vest on me. Slight paranoia, I guess, but it's a habit by now, and I've grown used to wearing it to bed anyways. As I hadn't brought a sleeping bag, I decide to simply use one of my spare jackets as a pillow. I don't need a blanket.

As I walk to an empty spot I noticed after finishing my nightly routine, I feel eyes on me. Turning to the source, I chuckle when I realize Yang is giving me a flirty look. I shake my head and continue on my way. It isn't that she's not interesting, but right now, I don't really feel like getting into a relationship.

It would be too dangerous, honestly.

As I lay down, I can still feel several vibrations where my semblance is telling me that there's a possible crime out there. Today, however, I leave it up to the police. I can't constantly mark the areas of possible crimes, as then they can trace my signal (I found out I _do_ emit one) and cut me off, and I don't have anyone trustable enough to give them the info anonymously.

I sigh and turn my back to the wall, ignoring a squabble going on a few meters away and closing my eyes. I need to be well rested for tomorrow.

…

…

…


End file.
